Triest Talk

Consolidate with One Agency to Save on InsuranceI've always heard that time is money. For most people if you're busy and making money time is money. Your time is valuable and wasting time trying to manage your home and auto insurance with multiple insurance agencies is a waste of both . A waste of your time and a waste of your money. It is also a potentially dangerous position because you may be missing coverages needed because the two agencies are not able to look out for your complete welfare. You're probably thinking that this is a pile of you know what. It doesn't matter where you have your home and auto insurance and there are not pitfalls to having them split between agencies. If anything it keeps my premiums down by using the two agencies. I can tell you that you're flat out wrong on all counts. Let's look at some scenarios.

Client Tom has his auto with the Trump Agency and his home with Triest Agency. Tom has substantial assets but doesn't have a personal umbrella policy but was told he needed one. So Tom calls the Trump Agency to buy a $1 million personal umbrella policy. Since the Trump Agency doesn't handle Tom's home insurance they put down on the application which Tom gleefully signs that he has the property limits to match the personal umbrella policy's requirements. Some time later there is a catastrophic claim at Tom's house when a friend drowns in his swimming pool. The claim on his home policy with Triest Agency exceeds the limits of liability so this is relatively simple. The excess amount will be paid by the personal umbrella policy at Trump Agency. Oops. Tom didn't have the required $500,000 of personal liability coverage on his homeowners because that's what the personal umbrella carrier required. Tom only had $300,000 of personal liability and now has a gap of $200,000 that he will have to pay out of his pocket for the $1 million claim. If he had his insurance for both his Charleston car and his Charleston home with Triest Agency then this wouldn't have happened. Instead Tom thought he was a savvy consumer savings money by using two insurance agencies but in the end he made a terrible mistake in his coverages.

How about another one? Mary has her home, auto and personal umbrella with Triest Agency but a policy for her 23 foot power boat with the Dock Agency. Triest Agency wasn't even aware that Mary owned a boat because she didn't think it was any of their business. The boat was in an accident and a passenger was killed. They hit a dock returning home after dark. The boat policy with the Dock Agency had a $200,000 liability limit but she is being sued for $1 million. Mary then called Triest Agency to report the claim to her personal umbrella policy but the boat wasn't listed; therefore, it is not covered. Mary thought she had made a wise decision saving a few dollars on her boat policy having it at the Dock Agency. In the end she actually made a terrible mistake.

This really applies to all of your insurance. At Triest Agency we're experts at writing your home insurance, auto insurance, umbrella liability insurance, flood insurance, small business insurance, workers compensation insurance and professional liability insurance. We can keep these types of mistakes from happening and you will save money by using your time more wisely and letting us manage your policies. Save time and money by letting Triest Agency serve all of your Charleston insurance needs.